


we're all stories in the end

by iamirondad



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Gen, Parent Tony Stark, Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Tony Feels, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 09:03:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20189725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamirondad/pseuds/iamirondad
Summary: After the snap, Tony is struggling to live in a world without Peter Parker, but he keeps his memory alive, by making him the hero of Morgan's bedtime stories.Happy 18th Birthday, Peter Parker.[New Chapter, every year, on August 10th until 2023]





	1. 2019

**Author's Note:**

> This is part one of what will be a five-year series. This is set in the time where Peter was ‘dead.’ It will follow Tony, every year on what would have been Peter’s birthday, and will then conclude in 2023, with Peter and Morgan. I decided, as a fun little task for myself, I will be writing this fic in real-time, and see how my writing changes over the next few years.
> 
> Enjoy!

Tony knew what had woken him up so early, but he didn’t want to think about it. _He never did._ It was unhealthy and self-deprecating to bury the memories of Peter Parker so deep that whenever he was reminded of him, grief would grab him by the neck and hold him in a merciless grip, slowly suffocating him. And his survivor’s guilt would settle in his chest and make it impossible to breathe.

Tony hated the feeling, because Peter used to lighten his day, and lift the weight of the world off his shoulders, but not anymore. Now, at the thought of his beautifully kind-hearted, and ridiculously intelligent kid, all he felt was inexplicable agony.

That wasn’t the worst part._ No_, that was the indescribable thought that came with the memory of Peter, because Tony knew, the pain that crippled him would never amount to what Peter felt in his final moments.

He cautiously sat up in bed, trying to calm his breathing. He tried his best not to jostle the bed, and wake Pepper, she deserved to rest, for once. He dipped his chin to his chest as he yawned and stretched his arms up over his head.

It was Peter’s eighteenth birthday, but he never made it past sixteen. He was too young, too innocent, he didn’t even get the chance to start his life.

Tony was torn away from his pain when his three-month-old daughter burst out into tears. Pepper sleepily muttered under her breath, and slowly moved to get up.

“No, no.” Tony whispered softly, trying to hide the wobble in his voice, “I’ve got her.” He bounced up and circled the end of the bed. He scooped Morgan out of her bedside crib, “Come on, little miss.”

Morgan didn’t stop crying, which was slightly uncharacteristic. She was not a fussy baby, and she hardly ever cried. Even when she did, as soon as she was in Tony or Pepper’s arms, she would stop, almost straight away.

Tony shushed her as bounced her in his arms, he stepped out of the bedroom, and made his way downstairs into the lounge, “What’s up, Morguna?” He brushed her tears away with the side of his thumb, “Hey?”

He hadn’t seen her cry like this since she was a new-born, and it struck fear, deep down. _God_, it was the same fear he had felt when Peter’s weak and sickly voice called out to him. _Mr. Stark_. He instinctively pressed the back of his hand to Morgan’s forehead and sighed in relief knowing she didn’t have a fever.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He kissed her temple as she continued to cry.

Tony wondered if she knew. If somehow, she picked up on what he was feeling and knew that today was not a good day. _Perhaps_, she inherited it from Tony. He knew that children could inherit anxiety disorders from their parents, so maybe, the loss of Peter ran so deep in Tony, that it was now rooted in his genetics.

He couldn’t let her feel that, not what he felt almost every day. He wouldn’t let his daughter live with that burden.

He readied himself for the fall, or more accurately, the leap. The leap of faith that terrified him so much that he had tricked himself into thinking it would be a bone-crushing fall. He was wrong because he had Morgan to hold onto him and stop him from plummeting.

“Peter.” Tony managed, through a sob. It was the first time he had said his name in over a year. He collapsed down onto the couch, he sat Morgan down on his knees, “His name was Peter.” His daughter looked up at him with wide-eyes, her crying came to an abrupt stop, “He was, _well_, he was your brother. And he was amazing. He was really clever, he was cleverer than me.”

Morgan titled her head to one side, Tony snorted.

“Yeah.” He chuckled, “_Can you believe it_? He thought he was funny, but I had no idea what he was talking about most the time, but his laugh was infectious.” This was the first time Tony had thought of Peter’s laugh, and not broken down at the memory, instead it warmed his heart, “He even made Uncle Happy smile, for like the first time in.... twenty years.”

Morgan gurgled happily, ready to hear more.

“He was a superhero, like daddy.” Tony told her, tears freely running down his cheeks, “But he was _better_. He was Spider-Man, and he didn’t just do the big things. He did the small things, like saving kittens from trees. Sometimes, he thought it was dumb, but he was the best out of all of us.”

That was true, Tony had always believed it. None of the Avengers could hope to amount to the hero Peter was. Tony didn’t take criticism on that front, because it was true to him, and that was all that mattered.

Peter had been wholesome, and all-loving, which is not commonly seen in superheroes.

“He deserved better.” Tony cried, he pressed his forehead against his hers, “And so do you. I’m sorry.” He held her tight, knowing she would never meet Peter, and that would forever be Tony’s greatest regret, that his children were never granted time together, “He would have loved you, and god, you would have worshipped the ground he walked on.”

He let out a hoarse laugh until his throat seized, the thoughts of what could have been, were somehow worse than the memory of Peter’s last moments.

“He would have never failed to make you laugh.” Tony sniffled, he leaned back to look her in the eye, “It’s his birthday today.” He scraped his teeth over his lower lip, he had managed to stop Morgan from crying, but had unlocked his own waterworks, “He should be here, bouncing around, too excited to go back to bed.”

Morgan placed her hand in her mouth but kept looking up at Tony, curiosity swimming in her eyes.

“Do you want to see him?” Tony asked unsurely, Morgan cooed her answer. “Okay, pumpkin.” He jumped onto his feet, and twirled around, “Friday, can you access video files on Underoos, please?”

“_Of course, boss_.” Friday, even though she was an AI, sounded relieved. She had never sounded so human before, it was like she had been waiting for the day that he would finally be ready to remember Peter. _She missed him too._

Holograms surrounded Tony and Morgan, presenting them with different videos of Peter, some were achieved from _Baby Monitor Protocol_ in his suit, and the others were from the times he spent in Tony’s lab.

The lounge was a symphony of Peter’s voice, it was hauntingly beautiful. 

Morgan stared up at the videos, taking in everything she could for someone so young. She threw her arms back, and giggled, uncontrollably. Tony wondered if her happiness was contributed to the fact that she had just witnessed a video of her brother faceplanting into a lake. Or, it was the same reason that Tony couldn’t help but smile when he heard Peter’s laugh, it was just infectious. 

Morgan reached out and bopped Tony’s nose. She stared at him like she was concerned that he wasn’t laughing like she was. Tony grinned, blinking away the last of his tears, “I’m okay, baby.” He reassured her, “I’m good.”

There would always be a hole in Tony’s life where Peter used to be. 

Nevertheless, Morgan gave Tony something he never thought he’d have in the wake of devastation, _hope_. 

Tony’s grief for Peter had once been love, that no longer had anywhere to go. But now, it did. _Peter was going to be remembered_, Morgan wasn’t going to grow up with boring fairy tales about princesses and princes. Not in the Stark household.

Peter was going to be the hero of all her bedtime stories, and in a way, that would keep him alive.

Tony leaned his chin on top of Morgan’s head, and looked up at one of the videos of Peter, “Happy birthday, kid.”


	2. 2020

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter deserved to be remembered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going on the record to say that, when I started this series last year, I definitely didn’t expect 2020 to take the turn it has. I mean….WOW. 
> 
> Anyway, despite this chapter being set in the year 2020, personally I don’t fancy writing about coronavirus – so I’m gonna say that in the MCU, it never existed.

It didn’t get easier.

It had been over two years, since they lost, and time didn’t fix anything. Tony would willingly punch whoever claimed that ‘_time healed all pain_’ because that shit, was a piece of sloppy baloney.

_No,_ time didn’t make it any easier, all that happened, was the people left behind, got stronger.

Telling stories worked.

Every night, he twirled Morgan and retold, tale after tale, about Peter Parker.

The first few times had ended with him, on his knees, and Pepper crouched beside him, trying to calm him down. She told him, he didn’t have to do it, if it hurt that much, but he refused to stop.

Peter deserved to be remembered.

Peter deserved to be his little sister’s hero.

Peter deserved to be _alive. _If he could only be, in words, then so be it.

With strict determination, Tony managed to tell the stories, without flinching. Soon, it became an evening ritual, and Morgan was always intrigued by what he was saying. He’d even introduced a Spider-Man plushie, into their fairy tales, and she loved it, _more than anything_.

Suddenly, a year went by, and it was Peter’s birthday again.

Tony’s vow, to keep the kid’s memory alive, was on the right track.

He refused to let the day be something they’d all dread.

He decided, they’d all visit the Monument Park, in Queens, where Peter’s name had been laid to rest, among thousands of others. Also, the Spider-Man memorial was there, which he loved to see.

He pushed Morgan through the park, in her stroller.

They were alone, together. Morgan made every morning worth it, even the ones where Tony couldn’t get his head out of the gutter.

Pepper worked in the morning, but she’d been meeting them, near the entranceway for the Monuments alongside Happy and Rhodey.

Morgan squirmed around, “Pee-tee!”

Tony smiled, keeping his eye on the path ahead, “Yes, baby.”

_‘Pee-tee’_ was Morgan’s attempt at ‘_Peter_’ and Tony couldn’t lie, it was adorable. It was her first word too. It was foreseeable, considering all the stories she had heard. She was overly protective of her Spider-Man toy, and she took it everywhere they wen

Morgan screamed again, “Pee-tee!”

It was hard, to hear Morgan’s infectiously joyous voice, call out her brother’s name, especially on Peter’s birthday.

It was like salt, on an open wound.

_“Pee-tee!” _

“Sir!” Somebody shouted from behind, "Hey, sir!”

Tony stopped and turned to face whoever was calling.

A woman jogged over, holding onto Morgan’s Spider-Man plushie.

Tony gasped, realizing what had happened, “Oh.”

His daughter’s cries made more sense now. 

The woman held it out, “I think your little one dropped this.”

Tony took it, “Thank you so much.”

“No problem.” She nodded and then, sprinted off, back on her run.

Tony locked the stroller in position and knelt, in front of Morgan, “Here you go, baby.”

“Pee-tee!” She grabbed it, instinctively tucking the toy under her arm.

“Sorry.” He bopped her nose, “I should have noticed you dropped him.”

Morgan cooed as if to say _'yeah!' _

“We better hurry.” He sang, getting back up to push her along, “Or they’ll wonder where we are.”

He circled into the Memorial Ground.

At the entranceway, was the Spider-Man mural. It was nothing too extravagant, that wouldn’t fit Peter’s personality. It was carved into the side of a giant tree, and beside it, was a park, where kids could play. It represented Spider-Man, for who Peter was, _a hero of the people._

Morgan pointed to it, “Pee-tee.”

“Yep.” Tony confirmed, “We’ll go on the swings later, kiddo.” He pushed the stroller onto the grass.

Pepper was hovering closeby, with Happy and Rhodey.

“Hey.” She bent down, kissing Morgan’s curls. She jumped up and pressed another on Tony’s cheek.

He smiled, for her, she tucked one of his stray hairs behind his ears.

A silence followed.

Happy shuddered, shaking his arms at their sides, “Pete would hate this.” He said, referring to how quiet they all were.

Tony nodded. with a smile, “Definitely.”

Rhodey pointed to the park, “He would love that though.”

Pepper smiled, teary-eyed, “Yeah, he really would.”

Tony bent down and grabbed the flowers from the small department underneath Morgan’s seat, “Umm.” He held them up, “Morgan chose them.”

By_ ‘chose’ _he meant she pointed at them and loudly shouted _‘one.’_

Pepper took them, out of his shaking hand, “They’re lovely.”

They slowly walked down, to the monument, where Peter’s name was written, sat beside May’s name.

Tony was glad they were together.

He traced his fingers over the name and muttered, quietly, “Hey, kid.”

Pepper knelt, placing the bunch among the others, “Happy birthday, honey.”

Happy bowed, pulling a _Luke Skywalker _action figure out of his pocket.

Tony laughed, with tears welling in his eyes.

Happy placed it, among the flowers.

Rhodey grinned, “The force is with him.”

Tony nodded, “Always.”

Rhodey wrapped an arm around Tony’s back, and his other, around Happy, who kept his eyes on the ground.

Pepper got up, hugging her arm around Tony’s back.

Morgan wriggled, cooing loudly.

Tony chuckled, “I’m gonna say that was a Happy Birthday.”

Pepper leaned her head on his arm, “I think so.”

Morgan bouncing, up and down, growing restless.

“Somebody obviously wants to go to the park.” Pepper got down, and picked Morgan out, up into her arms.

Morgan held out her Spider-Man toy, towards Tony, “Pee-tee!”

“You want me to have him?” Tony took it off her and squeezed it in his hand, “I got him.”

Pepper motioned back, with her head, “We’ll be in the park.”

Rhodey sang, “Have fun.”

Tony waited until they were out of view, before turning back, to stare blankly at the monument.

Happy stepped around, “You okay, Boss?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He wanted, a few seconds alone, but he couldn’t ask that of them, “Can you two collect lunch for us?”

“Sure.” Rhodey nodded, getting the hint, “There’s a Burger King, not too far from here.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

The pair walked away.

Tony buried his hand in his pocket, and used the other, to cradle the toy.

The autumn leaves nearby crunched under somebody's feet.

Tony looked up.

There was a girl, hovering nearby, looking lost. She could only be fourteen, maybe fifteen, and she looked scared, _shitless._ She was fidgeting with her hands, and her eyes were locked on the grass below her feet.

Being the concerned parent, he was, Tony turned, “Hey.” He called over, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” She stuttered, “I’m just—I wanted to talk to you, but um, I’m sorry, this is the wrong place, I just noticed you, and—"

“It’s okay, I get it.”

“I’m Dylan.” She stepped over, into view, “Dylan—”

Tony sighed, recognizing her, “Dylan Keener?”

“Yeah…” She nodded, “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Harley’s little sister.”

She hummed sadly, with a nod.

Harley was one of the fallen, Tony found his name.

He couldn’t process it, with everything else going on.

Tony held out a hand, “It’s good to finally meet you.” He smiled, “The proud owner of a limited edition, Dora the Explorer watch.”

She shook his hand, “You remembered?”

“Of course.”

She giggled, “Harley told me everything about you.”

“I’m sorry, that I never—” He cut himself off, “Reached out to you and your mum.”

“It’s okay.” She nodded, “It’s been crazy.”

“Harley was brilliant.” He praised, “He saved my life, more than once.”

She smiled, proudly, “I know.”

“You’re a long way from Tennessee.”

“We’re visiting family.” She scratched the back of her head, “I noticed you, and I just—Harley would want me to—"

“It’s fine.” He tightened his grip around the plushie, “Trust me.”

“Spider-Man.” She smiled, pointing to it, “He’s my favorite.”

“Ah.” Tony scoffed a laugh, “My daughter would probably fight you for him.”

“Ha.” She nervously swayed back onto her heels, “Did you know him?”

“Hm?”

“Spider-Man?”

“Yeah, I knew him.” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “He was my kid.”

“Like—"

“No, not like that, but in every other sense of the word.” He hung his arms, by his sides, “It’s his birthday today.”

She flinched, “I’m sorry.”

“No, kiddo.” He shook his head, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have put that on you. I—"

“My mum said that ever since it happened, people run their mouths more.” She said, “I do it all the time.” She shrugged, “We don’t have filters anymore, I guess.”

He deflated, “That’s true.”

“Birthdays are weird.” She pointed out, “Harley’s 19th was a few months ago, we just watched his favorite movies and ate our weight in chocolate.”

“Sounds good.”

Her mouth twitched into a smile, “He’d want nothing less.”

“Spidey was excitable.” Tony let go of a slow breath, “He’d be bouncing off the walls.”

“I can see that.”

Tony smiled, “They’d get along.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

A woman shouted over, “Dylan!”

“That’s my Aunt.” Dylan turned, “I better go.”

“Don’t be a stranger.” He told her, “If you and your mum need anything, I’ll do what I can to help out.”

“Thank you.” She stopped, “I don’t have your—"

He interrupted, “It’s all on Harley’s computer, just make a new account – my AI, Friday, she’ll work out the rest.”

“Thank you.” She repeated, she waved, “See you.”

“See you!”

She ran, out of view.

Tony turned back to the monument, a new thought spinning in his head.

Peter used to help out the little people, that’s what he stood for.

Since he’d died, Tony had been neglecting that. He’d blocked out the world, and that needed to change.

Tony needed to help out more, where he could, he had to resources too.

He smiled, hugging the Spider-Man plushie against his chest, “I got this, kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you this time, next year!


End file.
